Brain Degeneration Seen in Obese Individuals

2009-08-26 17:34:56 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Health & Fitness, News)

Brain tissue degeneration is seen in individuals who are obese.

Premature aging of the brain is seen in individuals who are overweight or obese.

Press Release Service – Wired PR News – A new study suggests that brain degeneration is an issue for people who are significantly overweight or obese. As reported by LiveScience.com, researchers found that the brains of obese individuals contained 8 percent less tissue than that found in people whose weight is in the normal range, which links obesity to cognitive impairments in addition to other serious health complications.

UCLA professor Paul Thompson, who is the study’s senior author, is quoted in the report as stating, “The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of those who were lean, and in overweight people looked 8 years older.”

Thompson is further quoted as stating of the findings on “severe brain degeneration,” “That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain… But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control.”

More information about the study may be found in the Human Brain Mapping journal online.

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